Call of the Wild
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: Something has caused Sofia to transform into a werewolf, and she has to rely on Cedric to figure out the reason for her transformation before she's stuck in the form forever. *Requested by Mr. Shortman92*
1. Hypertrichosis

Call of the Wild

Summary: Something has caused Sofia to transform into a werewolf, and she has to rely on Cedric to figure out the reason for her transformation before she's stuck in the form forever. *Requested by Mr. Shortman92*

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. The idea belongs to Mr. Shortman92.

A/N: Okay, guys! This is the last story I'll be able to write for a while, because the four other remaining stories I have in queue still need answers from the show itself before I can progress. I won't go into details, but I can say that one is a request (which I _may_ actually be able to work around and release next week, but I'll have to see), two of them deal with specific encounters, and the last is my big story I've mentioned. That one in particular will take a _lot_ of focus and detailing, so I'm hoping to have answers soon. Lol. As of now, I'm still not able to take anymore requests, so I'm sorry for that. Two (or maybe even three) of the remaining stories will likely be chapter stories, so there's a lot to manage. Regardless, we'll see what happens. I may have one more surprise in store (not sure if it will happen or not and I'm not giving any specifics for now just in case it _doesn't_ happen), but we'll see how that pans out. 😉

With that said, I hope you enjoy this story! Mr. Shortman92 mentioned this quite some time ago, and I'm finally getting around to writing it. :D Let me point out that despite some of the serious things in here, this story is meant to be more lighthearted and even silly at times. There are no 'bad guys' for a change. Haha. Also, I'll be updating this story (four chapters) over the next few days, so I just wanted to give a heads up. :D Enjoy!

Note: My GuardoRing from "Dream Team" will make its appearance in here. It will also show up quite prominently in the big story, and probably in a few others as well. 😊 Just wanted to make sure I mentioned it. There is also a very _brief_ reference to one of my inside jokes that quite a few of you are liable to latch onto. :p I won't elaborate on it, so if you catch it—lol! Yay!

Chapter List:

1: Hypertrichosis

2: Animal Instincts

3: A Montage of Solutions

4: Humanly Possible

*Story*

Chapter 1: Hypertrichosis

It had been quite a long Friday for Sofia. Most of her day had been spent training with Chrysta in the Mystic Isles, and while she was getting stronger and sharper with her instincts and skills, she was still very much aware that she'd reached her daily limit. She'd barely functioned at the dinner table with her family, who chalked up her exhaustion to playing around all day (seriously, when they found out what she was _really_ up to, she'd probably never hear the end of it). In addition, she hadn't really talked to much of anyone else. It was fine, though. She just needed some rest.

The youngest princess had originally retired to her room early that evening so that she could be alone. Now since it was getting later, she changed into her pajama set and took down her ponytail, allowing her hair to breathe. She smiled as she turned slightly sideways and looked into the mirror, noting that her hair was now a bit longer when fully down. Just one more change she was slowly adjusting to.

She yawned and walked over to the window seat, scooting closer to the glass and leaning back against a slew of pillows as she pulled a blanket over herself. She stared out at the darkened kingdom, its silhouettes more prominent in the light of the full moon. Sofia glanced up at the moon, mesmerized by its glow and the full beauty on display. She could even make out the craters and other miniscule details she normally would have overlooked.

Feeling her eyes growing heavy, Sofia resigned herself to sleeping in the window seat this once. She didn't have enough energy to get into her actual bed, and this one time she was okay with it. Soon enough, she fell into a steady sleep.

But her dreams were anything but peaceful (or normal) that night. Her dreams were filled with howling, figures and objects altering into other things, the inability to control her actions… It was strange. Unfortunately, it wasn't just _that_ night that she experienced those dreams.

They continued regularly for a full month. Stranger than the dreams were some uncontrollable urges she'd suddenly developed: the longing to chase things, howl at the moon, eat raw meat (which caused her to cringe), escape the stuffy clothing that princesses were expected to wear… Luckily, she hadn't indulged in any of those things yet, saving her from both embarrassment and inevitable questions from her friends and family; however, all of those yearnings were growing stronger day by day.

She couldn't tell anyone about these new developing impulses. Would they even understand? _She_ didn't even understand what was wrong with her. Maybe it was just part of growing up? After all, she'd be a teenager soon enough, and the awaiting challenges (according to her mother) were no joke. Sometimes she was even a little afraid of getting older, and all these new developments were just making that fear worse.

One evening when she was preparing for bed, Sofia noticed that she was beginning to grow thick hair along her legs and arms, stomach, back, and just all over. While it wasn't attractive at all, her biggest concern was how uncomfortable and abnormal it was. No other princess (or kid) her age seemed to struggle with this problem, and she was worried. _Was_ it normal?

Frowning, Sofia huffed and changed back into her dress, putting the tiara into her hair once more. She then grabbed her long-sleeved apprentice robe and put it over her dress so that she wouldn't have to see the unsightly scruff. Sighing, she made a decision. "Maybe Mr. Cedric knows what's going on with me… Maybe he has a potion or something that will fix this." Satisfied with her summarization, she headed off to the sorcerer's tower.

* * *

Cedric was just preparing to put his materials away for the evening when he heard a knock on his door. He frowned, wondering what on earth his apprentice would be doing visiting this late. She hadn't even been around that much this month, and he'd been a bit worried about her. When they _had_ met up, she'd been a bit more distant than normal. Maybe she was just going through something… "Come in, Sofia."

Sofia walked inside before shutting the door behind her, tugging the robe closer around herself anxiously, hoping he wouldn't immediately notice the new and unwanted addition. "Mr. Cedric…"

"What is the matter?" he asked curiously as she stood before him, looking like a lost soul. "What brings you here so late?"

"I think something's wrong with me," she admitted, her resolve quickly crumbling before Cedric led her to a chair so that she could sit down and collect herself. After giving herself a few moments, she continued her explanation, revealing her dreams and strange urges, along with the unwanted new hair, which she revealed after setting her apprentice robe aside.

Cedric was taken aback by her story and by the status of the girl's appearance. "Oh, my," he responded lightly as he reached forward and trailed his fingers over the strangely thick hair lining the princess's arms. "And you say this is the most recent development?"

She nodded. "It got really bad tonight. It's all over the place." That statement made her feel more self-conscious, and she drew both of her arms to herself, hiding them under the table. "I wish I knew what was going on. This isn't normal, Mr. Cedric…" She groaned. "I seriously hope this isn't part of growing up that Mom and Amber always warned me about."

"You mean your potassium?" Cedric quickly waved his hands as Sofia shot him a glare. "I know… Never mention that word again. Sorry." Seeing her deflating a bit, he sighed. "You're right though. I don't think this is at all normal. However, I have seen cases of such a thing, and it might warrant an explanation: hypertrichosis."

"Hyper-what?"

"Hypertrichosis," he repeated. "It's also known as Werewolf Syndrome, whereby one grows thick hair akin to a wolf's or werewolf's fur."

"So I'm turning into an animal?!" Sofia gasped, her eyes growing wide. "Mom never warned me about _that_ phase of growing up."

Cedric just laughed, calming her nerves a bit as he explained further. "Don't worry, Sofia. I'm sure this is just some strange occurrence that can be resolved rather quickly. In fact, I have a potion to permanently destroy this type of hair." He walked over toward his cupboard of infrequent potions and began sorting through them, a frown appearing on his face. "Hmm, it seems that I'm out of it right now. I'm afraid I've not used that potion in quite some time." He glanced back toward the forlorn-looking princess and offered her a gentle smile. "Not to worry. I'll gather the ingredients from the garden and make a small batch while you stay here and wait for me."

"Please hurry, Mr. Cedric," she begged before beginning to scratch at the different patches of furlike hair on her arms. "It's really getting itchy."

"I won't be long. Don't scratch too much; I don't want you hurting yourself." With that, he created a quick list of necessary ingredients before leaving to gather them.

Sofia restrained from scratching the scruff any more for the time being, though it was becoming a bit impossible. Feeling that her Enchantlet and GuardoRing were beginning to seem a bit tighter than usual with her new development, she slid each of them off and onto the work table, sighing. She hadn't previously noticed the full moon peering in through the tower window, illuminating her face and the workspace, but she soon turned and became entranced by its glow and beauty. Distracted, she didn't realize that her nails were beginning to grow rather rapidly…

* * *

Cedric returned several minutes later with a small tote of herbs and plants for his potion. "All right, my dear, I think I've got—AHH!" The tote fell to the floor, spilling its contents, as Cedric stared wide-eyed at the sight before him.

There, in the center of his workshop, stood a hairy, vicious-looking beast, and it appeared to be tearing Sofia's dress and shoes all to pieces, scattering the fabric about the room. Sofia herself was nowhere in sight, which sent a chill through the sorcerer as his mind went into panic mode. Had this horrid beast _eaten_ his apprentice? There didn't seem to be any… _indication_ …that she'd been…

He shook off his terror and wielded his wand, pointing it at the creature and aiming to destroy. However, he paused once the beast turned to him, a pair of familiar blue eyes gazing into his, auburn hair falling down in curly waves, and the Amulet of Avalor around the creature's neck. He glanced at the floor, where the princess's Enchantlet and GuardoRing now lay, presumably from the mess this creature had been making. Cedric gulped once and hesitantly lowered his wand as he cautiously stared at the being before him. "S-Sofia… Is that you?"

A sad whimper escaped the creature, and she hung her head in shame. Sofia, now trapped in this new form, realized she was acting like an animal rather than a princess, but there was nothing she could do about it.

…Was there?

To be continued…


	2. Animal Instincts

Call of the Wild

Summary: Something has caused Sofia to transform into a werewolf, and she has to rely on Cedric to figure out the reason for her transformation before she's stuck in the form forever. *Requested by Mr. Shortman92*

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. The idea belongs to Mr. Shortman92.

A/N: Hi again! :D Glad you all liked the first chapter. Now, Mr. Shortman92, you _know_ I'm not about to let Cedric in on the 'potassium' secret. Haha. Maybe in my big story…if there's time. Seriously, there's a lot going on in there. :p Anyway, This is where things start getting a bit…active, so to speak. You'll see Cedric's interaction with Roland, who discovers what's going on with his daughter. Will he jump to conclusions, or will he react more calmly than expected? Hmm… *shrugs* 😊 Enjoy the second chapter!

Chapter List:

1: Hypertrichosis

2: Animal Instincts

3: A Montage of Solutions

4: Humanly Possible

*Story*

Chapter 2: Animal Instincts

"Sofia," Cedric opted again, carefully approaching her and extending a hand to her. He frowned as she shied away and backed into a corner, shaking. A heavy sigh escaped him. "Very well. I won't bother you. But I assume you know the reason for your changing into…this werewolf form?" Now _that_ was something he hadn't expected to say today, or ever. He noticed that she didn't respond in any way. Then it dawned on him. Her transformation must have altered her ability to understand him. Typically, humans and animals had no verbal communication—just visual and physical cues. Was he terrifying her earlier?

Sofia watched as her mentor turned and moved over to his collection of books. Ooh, those looked sort of yummy, actually, but she didn't want him getting mad and chasing her around.

"Perhaps I can locate some information on this condition or on werewolves in general," Cedric muttered mostly to himself, "because I honestly don't know much about them." When he looked toward the transformed princess, he couldn't help smiling and rolling his eyes as it appeared she was using one of her legs to scratch her ear. "…And why am I bothering to explain this to the were-princess with the itches?" He shook his head and began his research.

Rather than what would be expected of a werewolf (or at least in Cedric's opinion), Sofia was acting more like a playful puppy at this point. She sniffed things before sneezing (an admittedly cute sound), knocked a few things over (including Cedric's cauldron, which thankfully didn't have anything in it), chased specks of dust in the air, and pawed through an old book that Cedric had given her—one with no real value. He even had to laugh as she sniffed some of the scraps of her dress, sitting up with one draped over her nose.

"Cute," Cedric laughed, causing the were-princess to emit a happy growl. "Really cute." He rolled his eyes as she bounded off elsewhere, likely to his bedroom or something to explore more. Luckily, everything of real value was in his workshop, so he wasn't really going to stop her. After all, if she destroyed anything, he could always replace it or conjure something new. With that thought firmly in his mind, he returned to his research, determined to get his princess back to normal.

* * *

Sofia entered the sorcerer's bedroom, her blue eyes widening at all the wonderful things she could play with or chew on. The lights from a few lamps nearby illuminated the space, so she could see very well what she was doing. She found a few old shoes (just the left shoes, for whatever reason) and began chewing on them. Once she was happy with their munched state, she bounded onto the bed, rolling around a few times and messing up the covers, knocking a few pillows off and onto the floor. She crawled under the covers and sniffed around for a bit, yelping once she accidentally bumped her nose into the wall against which one side of the bed was resting, and then resumed her explorations. Eventually though, she tired herself out, and she curled up in a ball on the wall-side of the bed, quickly falling asleep.

* * *

After several minutes of unexpected quiet, Cedric realized that Sofia hadn't returned. A bit concerned that she may have hurt herself, he searched the tower up and down before finally checking his room. His heart just about couldn't take the sight before him. There, amid the messy covers and strewn pillows, was his apprentice, sleeping peacefully with her form tucked into a little ball. It was probably one of the most adorable things he'd ever seen.

Seeing her shivering a bit, Cedric untied and removed his purple robe, draping it over the sleeping princess and gently stroking her auburn hair for a few moments until she calmed down, falling deeper into her sleep. He smiled thoughtfully before returning to continue his research until he felt the need to sleep himself.

Not even a minute after having returned to his workshop, Cedric heard a knock at his door. His mind occupied with thoughts of the day's events and exhaustion clouding his judgment, he walked over and pulled the door open wide without second thought, coming face to face with a worried-looking Roland. He blinked in surprise. "Your Majesty?"

"Cedric, are you okay?" the king asked cautiously. Seeing the confused expression on his friend's face, he explained further: "There were reports from some of the workers about strange noises coming from your tower, and I wanted to check and make sure…" He trailed off as he looked around the more-disheveled-than-usual workshop, his eyes spotting something he wasn't expecting to see: the remnants of Sofia's shredded dress.

' _Oh, no_ ,' Cedric thought frantically, the hazy clouds of tiredness finally clearing and giving him a bit more clarity to the situation and just how bad this could look. ' _Why didn't I clean_ _ **that**_ _up_?!'

"Cedric, where is Sofia?" Noticing that his employee was too stunned to respond, he frowned and pushed past him into the workshop, kneeling and picking up some of the fabric. "Sofia, are you here?" he called, his fist clenching around the scraps of her dress. He stood and glared at the sorcerer. "Don't tell me my faith in you was misplaced, Cedric."

Finally finding his voice, Cedric responded nervously, "It wasn't, King Roland, I assure you. Princess Sofia is here… I will take you to her, but you mustn't panic."

Those words caused Roland to become even more suspicious, but deciding to give his friend the benefit of the doubt, he nodded and followed Cedric to his bedroom. His mouth dropped upon seeing the princess's form fast asleep on the sorcerer's bed. "What happened to her?!" he whispered frantically. He wasn't even reacting the way he'd expected. He'd anticipated flying into a rage, wanting to hurt Cedric… But discovering his daughter was… What was she exactly? Some sort of dog? He hadn't been expecting _that_. "How does something like this even happen? What _did_ happen? Why is she-?"

"Your Majesty," Cedric started, waving his hands a bit to get him to become quiet, which he thankfully did. "Please, let's speak in the workshop so we don't wake her up. She's been through a great deal."

"I see…" He nodded and followed the sorcerer back to the other room, where he sighed and plopped onto one of his seats. "I just don't understand what happened."

"Neither do I, honestly." Cedric gestured toward a few books on his work table. "She came to me a while ago complaining that she was feeling strange and had begun growing what can only now be described as fur, and she asked if I had a potion to cure her. I ran out of the stock a while ago, so I told her I'd brew some more once I gathered the ingredients. While I was gone, she apparently transformed into what you saw."

"Wow…"

"King Roland, based on what I've read and what I know, I'm quite sure your daughter is now a werewolf. Though I'm not entirely sure _how_ it happened."

The fair-haired king sighed and rested his head against his propped hand. "So is she going to be like this all the time now?"

"Actually, not quite." Cedric opened the book he'd previously been reading to a page explaining a bit more of what he knew. He watched as Roland read it. "The curse only activates during the evening and wears off by morning, according to that book. Once Sofia changes back in the morning, I assure you that I'll figure out what the cause of it was. With that done, then I can start to find a cure."

"Right…" Roland flipped through some of the pages before closing the book and handing it back to Cedric. "This is going to be chaotic, you realize."

The sorcerer nodded grimly as he held the book to his chest.

"I guess we have no choice…" He stood up. "Can you keep her secure at night until it's determined what's happened to her, and until you find a cure?"

"Me?"

"I should probably tell Baileywick what's happened so that he won't worry about not being able to find her during the night or the morning, and I suppose I should let Miranda know…" Seeing the anxious look on his employee's face, he sighed. "Just take care of her, Cedric, and make sure she stays safe. I don't want her hurting others or herself. I know creatures like werewolves are unpredictable and can cause harm, even if they don't mean to. I can't have that happening, even if it _is_ Sofia…"

Surprised by his rather calm analysis and suggestion, Cedric merely nodded in agreement. "I'll take care of her, Your Majesty. I promise. You're welcome to check on our progress as well. Perhaps seeing you could activate some of her humane aspects again?"

"I'll try my best to stop by," the king assured him. "When I'm not bogged down with meetings… Ugh. I hate that this happened."

"As do I…" He cleared his throat once, a thought coming to him. "Actually, Your Majesty, if I may… Perhaps it's best not to tell anyone else what has happened. I wouldn't want them to be afraid of Sofia or try to hurt her, or the other way around. She can't exactly control herself when she's in her current form, I'm afraid."

"I'll come up with something to tell them then," Roland replied with a nod. "You may be right. I really don't want to explain to Miranda why our daughter is now growling and biting things. It might have been cute when the kids were toddlers, but now…" He sighed and shook his head. "Thank you for taking care of her, Cedric, and I'm sorry that I jumped to conclusions earlier."

"It's quite all right, King Roland. Had it been _my_ daughter, I can't say that I wouldn't have done just the same." He bid the king goodnight as he exited down the tower stairs, and he then closed the door behind him, sighing a long sigh of relief and placing one gloved hand to his heart. This was going to be quite the challenge, and he knew it. He was grateful that Roland hadn't immediately sent him to the dungeon after first discovering the mess he'd forgotten to clear. It could have gone in an entirely different direction.

Realizing he was likely not going to get much else done that night, he cleared away his research for the time being and decided to call it a night. He then headed back to his bedroom and removed his shoes, neatly placing them by the door. He didn't even bother changing into his nightclothes as he ambled toward his bed.

A gentle smile tugged at his lips as he saw that Sofia was still fast asleep, curled under his warm and familiar robe. At least she was comfortable, he reasoned. "Don't worry, my dear," he whispered gently. "We'll figure this out." He settled onto the opposite side of his bed and pulled the blankets around him, falling asleep much faster than he usually would.

To be continued…


	3. A Montage of Solutions

Call of the Wild

Summary: Something has caused Sofia to transform into a werewolf, and she has to rely on Cedric to figure out the reason for her transformation before she's stuck in the form forever. *Requested by Mr. Shortman92*

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. The idea belongs to Mr. Shortman92.

A/N: All right, here comes the montage! Cedric and Sofia are on a mission to figure out what caused her problem and what may get her back to normal. Needless to say, it's going to be quite a ride. Also, poor Sofia's going to go through a lot of things in this chapter, but don't worry. She's got her mentor and friend there to help her. 😊 Enjoy!

Chapter List:

1: Hypertrichosis

2: Animal Instincts

3: A Montage of Solutions

4: Humanly Possible

*Story*

Chapter 3: A Montage of Solutions

The next morning, it was dark and storming outside. In fact, it was a loud clap of thunder that startled Sofia awake. She jumped up and noticed that Cedric's robe was still draped over her. What was even more surprising was that it was the only thing keeping her modest thanks to the previous day's events. Blushing in embarrassment, she pulled the robe on fully and tied it tightly about her waist. Still a bit cold, even in the warmth of the robe, she grabbed a stray heavy blanket and draped it around herself, instantly feeling better. She did note that the fur no longer covered her, for which she was grateful.

She looked around and noticed that she was apparently in Cedric's bed, which was strange. She didn't remember even falling asleep. She was able to recall little bits and pieces from her experience as a werewolf, but she couldn't say that she had a full memory of everything that had occurred. Spotting her friend sleeping in a haphazard manner, with his arm thrown over his eyes and his mouth hanging open, a few snores escaping, she smiled in amusement before sighing. She needed his help. That was the whole reason she'd even come to him last night. She crawled carefully across the bed and reached out, gently shaking her friend and causing him to awaken with a gasp.

Cedric instinctively grasped Sofia's wrist to stop her from shaking him, but he released it just as quickly as he blinked toward her. Thankfully, the lamps were still glowing, so he was able to see her a bit better. "Sofia?" He sat up against his pillows before frowning in concern as he observed her. She was still adorned in his robe and now a blanket, her hair was something of a tangled mess, and she looked sort of pale. Regardless, he was thrilled to make one connection that offered him a bit of relief. "You're back to normal."

"Sort of," she agreed with a nod. "Mr. Cedric, can you conjure me something to wear? I appreciate the robe and everything, but…"

He nodded. "Of course. Just a minute." He turned and grabbed a spare wand from his bedside table before murmuring a simple spell, smiling as Sofia was now dressed in her Protector outfit, something he recalled seeing her wearing quite a bit recently, and her detangled hair was now tied up into a ponytail. "How's that?"

She smiled in relief. "Much better. Thank you."

"You must be hungry."

A little grumble from her stomach responded to the suggestion, and Sofia blushed again as her hands instantly moved to cover it. She blushed even more when she heard her friend chuckling. "Sorry… I didn't eat much yesterday."

"Come along then, and we'll get some breakfast." He stood and held his hand out to her, smiling as she accepted it and followed him out of the room.

Once they'd both gotten properly prepared for the day, they met back in Cedric's workshop to share some pancakes and juice. They chatted a bit before finishing up and clearing away the dishes.

"I think it's time to talk about what happened yesterday," Cedric informed his apprentice, who hesitantly nodded. "It's all right, Sofia. Just take your time and tell me what you know."

"That's the problem," she sighed. "I don't know much… I was perfectly fine one minute, and the next I was growing all this rough hair—I guess it's actually fur, now that I think about it—and… I felt my entire body changing." She closed her eyes as she recalled the event. "It felt like my insides were snapping and being put back together. It really hurt, too. It was crazy… And after I transformed, I don't really remember that much." She opened her eyes, looking toward her friend, who appeared to be intrigued. "It was almost like a dream or something."

"I see…" He grabbed the book from yesterday, titled _Wolves Among Us_ , and flipped to the point where he'd left off. "I did some research yesterday while all of this was going on. It appears that you transformed into a werewolf, believe it or not…and a rather active one at that." He smiled as she giggled apologetically. "I also found you asleep at one point; I suppose you wore yourself out after practically destroying my workshop."

Sofia gasped but noticed that Cedric was just chuckling. Still, she felt bad that she'd done anything like that without even realizing it. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Cedric. I'll fix whatever I messed up."

"You needn't worry about that, Sofia. I've already taken care of everything." He gestured around the room, indicating that things were back in their proper working order.

"Yeah, but I still feel bad." She frowned and sighed, leaning over onto the table. "I hate that I can't control myself." She suddenly gasped as she looked up at him. "Oh, no! If I was here all night, my family's probably wondering where I am." A look of pure terror spread over her face. "Baileywick knows I'm not in my room, so he's going to send out the soldiers to find me, and it's going to come back to you, and you're going to get locked in the dungeon again, and I—!"

"Sofia, breathe!" Cedric reached over and clasped her hands, gently massaging her knuckles to get her to calm down, which she eventually did. "I spoke with your father last night. He knows what's going on, and he said he'll take care of everything."

She blinked. "Really?"

"Yes. My job is to look after you, and we need to figure out what caused this mess and how to fix it. Preferably before night falls, when you _will_ transform again."

The princess swallowed nervously before asking, "And… What will happen if we _don't_ figure out how to fix this?" She frowned as he grew silent. "I'll be stuck like this, won't I?"

"I'm not giving up, so don't you give up either." He released her hands and referred to the book. "Even with just a little bit of research, I've discovered a few ways people could actually have transformed into werewolves before."

"Really?" She looked on as he indicated each possibility.

"Some have eaten a flower called a Lycanthropous Flower." In the center of the page was a beautiful flower with drooping blossoms. "Been around any of those recently?"

"Uh, no." She shook her head.

"Well, next is the Lycanthropous Stream. Some have claimed that drinking from this type of water will change you." Seeing her dubious glance, he shrugged. "Moving on then." He flipped a page. "I'm assuming you've not worn a Wolf Belt or been bitten by a wolf recently."

Sofia actually smiled sarcastically at that statement. "No, not _recently_."

"Right…" He chuckled at the next possibility. "And have you, dear Sofia, been drinking water from a wolf's paw print?"

The princess grinned. "Can't say that I have, Mr. Cedric."

"Hmm. How long have you had those strange symptoms you mentioned? The growing fur, the aches?"

"About a month now," she replied. "That's when I started having weird dreams. At one point, I even dreamed that I was 'running with a wolf pack' or something. It was the strangest thing." She looked at him curiously. "It was like I _was_ one of them."

"One month ago, you say?" He pulled out a small journal, which happened to be a calendar with moon phases recorded. He flipped back a page before turning it forward again. A frown formed on his features. "As I suspected…"

Sofia was becoming a bit worried. "What is it?"

"Sofia, was it a Friday night when these strange dreams and symptoms first started?" He saw her nod, confusion etched into her face. "And it was a full moon that night, I take it?" Again, she nodded. "Hmm." He pulled the _Wolves Among Us_ book over to himself and asked, "And where exactly were you sleeping that night when this all began?"

"My window seat," she answered softly. "I was so tired after everything that night that I just passed out there instead of going to my bed."

"Were you facing the moon?"

"Yes. Mr. Cedric, what does all of this even have to do with this whole transformation?" She blinked as he passed the book over to her, allowing her to see for herself.

 _Possibility: Full Moon Curse_

 _It is quite possible that the affected person may have endured the Full Moon Curse. The transformed would fall asleep under a full moon, his or her face completely immersed in the light, and would slowly gain qualities and habits of a werewolf. Unlike the other methods, this one is actually the slowest and most painful, as it is an extended alteration of one's body._

"Are you _kidding_ me?!" Sofia exclaimed, slamming the book closed and causing Cedric to jump. "That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard! I'm turning into an ugly, hairy beast because I fell asleep under the _moon_?!"

Cedric nervously replied, "W-Well, actually… You're not an _ugly_ werewolf. In fact, as far as werewolves go, you were kind of adorable."

Sofia flushed before complaining, "As much as I appreciate the sentiment, Mr. Cedric, I'd rather not be _any kind of werewolf_ …" She sighed, composing herself. "Does it say somewhere in that book how to cure this?"

"I'm…afraid I haven't gotten that far yet." Hearing her groan in dismay, he quickly rectified his statement, "B-But I will! Right now! And we're going to get you back to normal, Sofia. I promise."

She smiled tiredly and nodded. "Okay… Let's see if we can figure out the cure then."

Cedric read a bit more of the information in the book before coming across the first possible solution.

 _Solution 1: Tire the person out so that he/she will not have enough energy to transform. If the person cannot transform, then the inner wolf will dissipate due to neglect._

Sofia shrugged. "I guess it's worth a try."

* * *

First Try

* * *

The rest of the day, Cedric and Sofia spent time playing around outside once the weather cleared up. They played Dazzleball together, played tag around the castle, took a walk around the grounds and chatted, had lunch outdoors, played horseshoes, and so many other things.

By the time they returned to the workshop that evening, having run up the stairs (which they certainly would _never_ recommend to anyone), they were both exhausted and collapsed in a heap to the floor, trying to catch their breaths. Almost instantly, Sofia began transforming again before Cedric's eyes.

"Oh, no," he muttered to himself, disappointed that they'd spent the whole day trying to tire her out for nothing. The sight of his friend transforming was hard to sit through, but he wasn't scared. Rather, he felt a bit sad for Sofia, because she was clearly in a lot of pain. He knew he'd need to cure her fast, especially since he couldn't stand to see her in such a state.

Sofia passed out on the floor, either due to the tiring transformation or the pain. Either one wouldn't have been all that surprising.

Cedric scooped the were-princess into his arms and headed toward his bedroom. With a bit of difficulty, he retrieved his wand from his robe and muttered a few words, creating a small cot at the foot of his bed, complete with several blankets and pillows. He placed the sleeping princess onto the cot and gently removed her tiara, placing it aside, before covering her with the blankets. "Good night, Sofia," he whispered before preparing for bed. Maybe the next option would work…

 _Solution 2: Verbal commands are often reported to work. One could scream or yell at the affected, shocking the wolf out of the system. Another option is to chant the name of the affected three times._

* * *

Second Try

* * *

Cedric and Sofia spent the next day attempting the second solution. It was hard to tell if it was going to take, however, since she wouldn't begin her change until the nightfall. Cedric even took things a step further and decided to try the wear-out method again. This time, they cleaned his workshop top to bottom, organizing and shelving things.

"Admit it," Sofia laughed tiredly from her spot on the staircase as she leaned over the railing later that evening, "you just wanted me to help you clean this place up again."

"Hey, no questioning Cedric the Sensational and his methods for curing his apprentice," he teased from his position on the floor, where he was sorting out old and new potions. "Besides, I'm willing to do just about anything to get you back to normal."

"I appreciate it, Mr. Cedric." She used the rag she was currently holding to wipe down the railing as she stepped off the steps and onto the floor again. She paused when she felt an uncomfortable feeling wash over her. "Oh, no, it's happening again…" She dropped the rag and whimpered.

Cedric stood and quickly hurried over to her, instantly wrapping his arms around her to offer some comfort. "What can I do?"

"Take my amulet," she told him, pulling the necklace off and offering it to him.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "If you'd said that two years ago, I would have taken it without a second thought. But…may I ask _why_?"

She smiled. "When I'm in this other form, I can't understand you… I do know that. If you wear the amulet, you'll be able to speak with me. It's kind of a 'blessing' I earned when I first got it."

"But…the amulet blesses individuals based on their good deeds." He placed the amulet around his neck anyway as he continued holding the princess, who was obviously in more pain than before. "There's no guarantee it's going to work, Sofia…"

"You're helping me," she assured him, attempting to hold back the pain. "You're doing a good deed. Trust me. It's going to work."

As if on cue, the amulet reacted and shimmered a peculiar shade of pink before dying down. Cedric blinked at the action and sighed, gently brushing his fingers through Sofia's hair as she whimpered again. "I suppose we'll find out in just a few minutes, hmm?"

Not even a minute later, Sofia transformed into her werewolf form, but she seemed a bit weaker now. In fact, she seemed downright exhausted as she collapsed against her mentor. "Mr. Cedric…"

Cedric smiled, because he could indeed understand her. "I'm here, Sofia," he murmured, continuing to stroke her hair, even in her newer form. "Get some rest." He frowned as she fell asleep against his chest, her breathing a bit labored. He'd noticed that each transformation was getting faster than the last, and while he'd not yet witnessed her return to her human form (since it seemed to happen in the middle of the night or at the very least while they're both still asleep), he knew very well that she was in a great deal of pain when she was changing from her human form to the werewolf form. If she slept, perhaps she wouldn't be able to feel the discomfort nearly as much. Or at least, that's what he was hoping.

It took every last bit of strength he had to carry the sleeping were-princess to her cot and tuck her in. This was getting to be the 'new norm,' though he hoped it wouldn't be a _permanent_ one. As much as he wanted to help Sofia be accustomed to the werewolf side, he also… _really_ didn't want to do that. He wanted his friend back—fully back. No more transformations, no more fur, no more unpredictable behaviors, and especially no more pain for someone so undeserving of it.

"We're getting closer, Sofia," he assured her softly as he covered her completely with the blankets. "I promise. I can feel it." With that, he turned in for the night, hoping beyond hope that he was right.

To be continued…


	4. Humanly Possible

Call of the Wild

Summary: Something has caused Sofia to transform into a werewolf, and she has to rely on Cedric to figure out the reason for her transformation before she's stuck in the form forever. *Requested by Mr. Shortman92*

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. The idea belongs to Mr. Shortman92.

A/N: Here's the final chapter! Also, great news! :D One of my awesome readers inspired me for a story that _should_ be released July 4. And trust me, the irony of this particular day is _not_ lost on me, especially based on the content. Lol. And it's going to be a fun one to write! :D With that said, hope you enjoy the resolution of this story!

Note: There _is_ a bit of violence in this chapter, so I wanted to give you all a heads up if that makes you uncomfortable or squeamish. It's a necessary form of violence (that is SO weird to type, lol), but yeah. Lol.

Chapter List:

1: Hypertrichosis

2: Animal Instincts

3: A Montage of Solutions

4: Humanly Possible

*Story*

Chapter 4: Humanly Possible

The following evening, Cedric (with the Amulet of Avalor dangling from his neck) and Sofia (currently in her werewolf form _and_ conscious for a change) were both frustrated with the lack of results. At this point, they'd exhausted every non-violent option to break the curse placed on the princess, and yet nothing was working.

"Is there _anything_ we haven't tried yet?" she asked Cedric, who seemed a bit hesitant to answer.

"Um, n-no," he replied unconvincingly, tugging on his robe sleeves as he sat next to her on the staircase inside the workshop. Technically, he'd read about one particular method, but he absolutely refused to do something as barbaric as driving nails through the center of the girl's front paws when she was transformed. There was no _way_ he was going to do that.

There actually _was_ one final violent yet quick method that he'd come across, but he was still on the fence about it due to the very nature of it. It was unlikely to cause any severe or lasting damage, since injuries sustained in the werewolf form would vanish once she reverted to her normal state, but it was merely a theory that didn't hold enough water for him; he didn't want to risk hurting Sofia, only for that method to fail just like the others had.

The princess's eyes narrowed as she noticed her friend peering intensely at one section of _Wolves Among Us_. She had a feeling that he wasn't telling her everything. "What are you looking at?" she asked curiously, and she was surprised when he relented with a heavy sigh and slid the book over to her.

"There's one method that's been calling to me, so to speak, but I'm afraid it will cause more harm than good. I don't want to cause you anymore pain…"

Sofia frowned as she scanned the words on the page.

" _Striking a werewolf on the head or in the face with any metal object_ _ **will**_ _break the curse, unless the werewolf in question has already killed something or someone. In that case, a silver blade is the only hope._ "

She glanced up at her friend and asked, "So, what are you waiting for? Let's try it."

Frowning at the unexpected response, Cedric shook his head. "Are you mad, Sofia? You could get hurt!"

"Mr. Cedric, every time I transform, my bones break and reshape themselves. _Nothing_ could hurt worse than that." She shut the book with her paw and pushed it back over toward him. "So stop whining about it and hit me already."

The sorcerer's mouth dropped. He was shocked by her outburst and was seriously starting to wonder what had gotten into her. She _actually_ wanted to do this?

In hindsight, Sofia was truly afraid of trying the violent method, but she wanted, more than anything, to be freed from the wretched curse. She wanted her life back, and at this point, she'd do just about anything, even if it hurt, to get it—even if that meant antagonizing her closest friend for it to happen. She smirked tauntingly, something he hadn't been expecting. "What's wrong, Mr. Cedric? Are you _scared_?"

"Um, _yes_!" he retorted honestly, shaking his head. "I don't want to _hurt_ you, Sofia. I thought I'd made that clear." He waved one hand as she growled in frustration. "And you can taunt me and make fun of me all you like, but nothing you say will make me hit you."

"Hmph." She huffed and looked away, still irked that he refused to comply. "I guess you don't care about me at all then, because if you did, you'd do everything possible to help me."

Something about that statement snapped something inside the sorcerer. He calmly stood up from his seat on the stairs and walked over to his desk, grabbing a metal candelabra and gripping it firmly, staring at it intensely. He glanced behind him, noting that Sofia seemed like she was still distracted and annoyed, so he chose then to briskly approach her. Before she could react, he struck her in the face, hard enough to dislocate her jaw.

Cedric stared, horrified, as he saw the girl's jaw instantly reset itself, and it appeared that Sofia was possibly beginning to turn back to normal. He hadn't actually expected that to _work_. Even more, he had only seen Sofia's transformation into the werewolf form; they were both asleep whenever she reverted to her human form.

Broken from his trance, Cedric noticed little patches of bare skin beginning to appear through the fur on her arms and legs, so he quickly removed his robe and wrapped it around his friend, turning and waiting for the transformation to finish.

Sofia was grateful for his consideration. She finished changing back to her human form and tightly secured the robe around herself. She smiled and reached out, tapping him on the shoulder. "Mr. Cedric?"

The sorcerer slowly turned back to her, only to be greeted with a brisk hug. He returned it momentarily before shuffling her back, gently caressing her cheek where the candelabra had hit her. "Are you all right?"

"You actually hit me," she murmured, a bit surprised. "… _Really_ hard!" Apparently, she was still trying to process that.

"I'm so sorry!" he apologized, horrified. "I—" Sofia began giggling, which confused him even more. Maybe he'd hit her a little _too_ hard? "Sofia, are you all right?"

She grinned at him, though it was a little difficult at the moment. "I'm more than all right, Mr. Cedric. It's all thanks to you." She beamed and threw her arms around his neck again, sighing happily as he gently held her. "I'm so sorry for anything I said earlier, especially if it hurt your feelings. I didn't mean those things at all. I was only trying to figure out how to break the curse."

He patted her back gently. "I'm sorry I hit you… Did it hurt?"

She leaned back and rubbed her jaw. "It's a little sore… And I'm kind of starting to get a headache." She smiled calmly at him when she noted that he seemed to be getting a little concerned. She grasped his hands. "I'm sure it's nothing one of your potions can't fix, right?"

Cedric nodded. "I do have a potion that can help with _that_ sort of pain, yes. And I think it's best if I conjure you some pajamas and send you back to your room at last."

" _At last_?" She scoffed, folding her arms. "Mr. Cedric, are you trying to get rid of me?"

"Of course not, but it's been a few days now, and I'm sure your family is concerned."

She sighed and smiled patiently. "Mr. Cedric, it's late. They're not going to know any difference. And I'm still sort of achy and tired, and that last transformation was really draining, and I don't know if I can even make it to my room right now; so if it's okay with you, can I just stay on my cot one more night? Please? I would actually feel safer with you, just to make sure I'm really cured."

Well, Cedric wasn't expecting _that_ … He nodded, giving in. "Very well. But tomorrow, you'll be sleeping in your own bed."

Sofia nodded. "Okay!"

Cedric conjured the princess a set of pajamas and took back his robe, slipping it on and tying it together. Then he retrieved a pain potion from his pantry, handing it to her and waiting for her to drink it. That done, he took the amulet from around his neck and placed it back around hers, smiling softly. "I believe this belongs to you, my dear."

The princess giggled. "Thanks for taking care of it for me. And thanks for taking care of _me_. I know it wasn't easy…" She held out her hands and grasped his as he pulled her to her feet.

"You've certainly got that right. And now, my dear girl, I think it's time you get some rest."

She shook her head, confusing him momentarily. "I think it's time we _both_ get some rest." She held up one hand as she saw that he was about to argue against her. "Mr. Cedric, you can clean up the workshop tomorrow. Trust me, the mess isn't going anywhere. It kind of doesn't have little legs to make it run off." She giggled as he gave her a sarcastic smirk.

"Rather cheeky for a princess, aren't you?"

"You know you love me," she joked, hugging him again.

"I do…" He smiled as she looked up at him.

"I love you too, Mr. Cedric." An involuntary yawn escaped her, prompting Cedric to begin guiding her back to her makeshift cot for the evening. "Thanks again for everything," she told him as she settled down, pulling the covers around her.

"Anything for you, Sofia." He cupped her cheek affectionately one last time with a soft smile before stepping out to change into his pajamas. He returned, now wearing a dark purple set of a button-down shirt and matching pants, and got into his own bed, pulling the heavy covers over himself.

"Good night, Mr. Cedric," the princess called from her cot.

He smiled and closed his eyes. "Good night, Sofia. Sleep well."

And she did, finally. And Sofia did indeed return to her own room the following night, because at last the curse was finally lifted. While she wasn't opposed to spending more time with her mentor, he insisted that she return to her own familiar surroundings and get back to her everyday activities, so she did; things eventually returned to normal for the two friends after that, though Cedric made Sofia promise _not_ to fall asleep near the window during a full moon again. Needless to say, she more than agreed. After all, being a werewolf for a few days was more than enough to last her for a lifetime.

The end


End file.
